There is known a device for electrical connection of reactor chamber internal elements to the vacuum vessel of the nuclear fusion reactor, comprising conductive elements with surface portions oriented in different directions, which are stacked between flanges. Conductive elements of the known device comprise flattened tubes having a slotted cavity sealingly closed by a welded or brazed seam (Russian Patent No. 118100, IPC G21B1/17, published on Oct. 7, 2012).
The known device has a disadvantage that a disruption of the electric connection is possible between the reactor chamber internal element and the vacuum vessel of the reactor under alternating ponderomotive forces and thermal gradients generated during reactor operation, resulted from the limited cyclical strength of the conductive elements caused by local clusters of deformation ranges in the connection points between the conductive elements and the flange parts and at the transition areas of the surface portions of the conductive elements which are oriented in different directions.
The closest analog to the claimed invention, as to the essential features, is a device comprising lamellar conductive elements with surface portions oriented in different directions, the elements stacked between flanges (International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Vienna, 2002 ITER TECHNICAL BASIS, ITER EDA Documentation series No. 24, Plant Description Document, Chapter 2.3, Page 10-2.3.4.3 Electrical Connection, FIG. 2.3.4-4 One Strap of the Electrical Connection).
The known device is comprised of a number of separate parts, such as two flanges and two U-shaped straps, each of them being a lamellar conductive element. The straps are enclosed one inside the other thus forming a single U-shaped package. The separate parts of the device should be manufactured and assembled with a high degree of accuracy for compensation of electromagnetic forces acting on the conductive elements during the reactor operation. Due to the joint resistance between the outside and the inside straps the current mainly flows through the outside straps, resulting in the increased loads on the outside strap and reducing device overall output capacity. Furthermore, a great deformation range arises at the connection points of the conductive elements with the flange parts and at the transition areas of the differently oriented surfaces of the conductive elements during the reactor operation, which may result in a cracking or a collapse of the conductive element.
The known apparatus has a disadvantage that a disruption of the electric connection is possible between the reactor chamber internal element and the vacuum vessel of the reactor, under alternating ponderomotive forces and thermal gradients generated during reactor operation, resulted from the limited cyclical strength of the conductive elements caused by local clusters of deformations in the connection points of the conductive elements with the flange parts and at the transition areas of the surface portions of the conductive elements, which are oriented in different directions. Furthermore, the known apparatus has a disadvantage that providing accuracy of the manufactured parts and their assembling is quite challenging since fitting gaps should be kept at the lowest level.